PARIS (AP) — French director Jacques Rivette, a secretive pioneer of convention-bashing New Wave film who brought renown to women actors such as Emmanuelle Beart, has died at 87.
Rivette’s films — like many of the New Wave era — routinely appeared at elite film festivals though didn’t always enjoy commercial success.
French President Francois Hollande, in a statement Friday announcing Rivette’s death, hailed him for creating major female roles.
Among them was his debut, “La Religieuse” (The Nun), the award-winning “La Belle Noiseuse” (The Beautiful Troublemaker) in 1991, and a 1996 version of the Joan of Arc tale “Jeanne la Pucelle.”
His 1974 film “Celine and Julie go Boating” often makes international best lists.
Serge Toubiana, head of the Cinematheque museum in Paris, described on France-Info radio Rivette’s “sense of conspiracy, sense of secrecy” and the “magnificent place” he provided to women characters.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
